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Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Becoming an Official Officiant!

One of my closest friends recently got engaged and ended up popping the question to me....no, not that question but the "Will you officiate our wedding?" question which I, of course, answered with a resounding "YES!". Wedding ceremonies are such a intimate celebration of two people's love for each other and to be so involved in the ceremony is truly an honor.

Because so many couples are opting to celebrate their wedding in a secular venue and need more unconventional officiant options, I decided to chronicle my journey of becoming an official officiant here on the HVG blog.

(c) The Life You Love Photography, Rachel & Wayne Wedding

I began my journey of becoming an officiant by conducting a bit of research. I found that I could become an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church which would allow me to perform wedding ceremonies in certain counties and states (I will be performing the ceremony in Boston but more on that to come later...)

Step 1. Visit the ULC website, click the "Get Ordained Now!" button, and fill out ULC's online form. This consists of populating the name, address, and email address fields. That's it and it's free! Essentially anyone can become an ordained minister of the ULC. From what I can glean from their website, the ULC is a nondenominational organization which has the sole purpose of allowing people to officiate the marriages of their friends (this might not be completely accurate but it's still pretty cool).

Many Town and City Halls require proof of ministry, so I will purchase the official ULC ministry certificate for about $30. The ULC website also offers some very pretty marriage certificates for as little as $5.

Step 2. Now that I'm an official minister of the ULC, my next step is to verify that the City of Boston and the State of Massachusetts recognize marriages performed by ULC ministers. It appears as if the City Hall does recognize ULC ministers; if not, I will be able to file for a "One Day Marriage Designation" which will allow me to perform the ceremony.

Steps 3 and 4. File all necessary paperwork with City Hall and start to plan the ceremony. Planning the ceremony will be the really fun part but more on these two steps to come as the big day gets closer!